Guwahati, June 26: The Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), an influential organisation of tea workers, has welcomed the opening of model high schools in tea gardens of the state, saying that a decades-long problem in the prevailing education system in the garden areas has been addressed.
For the first time since the country’s Independence, model schools – “Adarsha Vidyalayas” – have been opened across the state’s tea gardens.
Until the other day, the gardens only had lower primary schools, with students having to travel far for attending classes in Middle English and high schools.
Speaking to The Shillong Times on Thursday, Nabin Chandra Keot, central vice president of ACMS, hailed the historic step as exemplary.
“We welcome the move which is unprecedented. The state government has finally addressed a long-pending demand of ACMS, as we have been pushing for having high schools in the tea garden areas for the students to have better education and a promising future,” Keot said.
The Assam government had established the State-Owned Priority Development (SOPD) fund in 2020 to set up 119 model high schools in strategically-located tea estates.
The state PWD was entrusted with constructing these schools at Rs 1.19 crore each in 17 districts of Assam.
The ACMS leader further said that the model schools are also expected to restrict high school students from dropping out because of “peer pressure and inferiority complex.”
“Over the decades, we have seen a large number of children belonging to tea communities not completing their school education. Poor standards of education coupled with the hassles of travelling several kilometres to attend school everyday took a toll in more ways than one,” he observed.
Meanwhile, speaking at a public function in Pertabghur tea estate in Biswanath district on Thursday, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that many children who had dropped out of formal education have re-enrolled themselves in the new Adarsha Vidyalayas.
“Before, only about 1000 to 1500 students belonging to the tea gardens could avail higher education. Now, close to 15,000 have enrolled in the model high schools and very soon, another 15000 will join. The state government will provide more facilities in these schools in the coming years,” the chief minister said.
Apart from children of garden workers, these schools will also facilitate students belonging to other communities living in the vicinity of these gardens to avail quality education.
Sarma also promised to further upgrade the schools to the higher secondary level.